January 10, 2012

NEW RA INTERVIEW: MTV's 2012 ONES TO WATCH + Thorin Role=Household Name(see article below) + Have you Ever Noticed It--the Cowlick? + Which Character are You?(see link below) + Initial Impression: Much Ado About Nothing Really




NEWS: I've  not stopped watching him for the last 3 years ;) but MTV alerts others that Richard Armitage is on their ONES TO WATCH 2012 List:
THE HOBBIT NEWS:2012 MTV’s Ones To Watch
Richard Armitage

Elizabeth Banks
Taylor Schilling
Adrianne Palicki
Alice Eve
Taylor Kitsch
Josh Hutcherson
Liam Hemsworth
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
MTV: You ended up with middle ground in terms of the amount of makeup. Did you feel lucky?

Armitage: It did evolve. We all started with quite an extreme version of ourselves. I think because my character does spend a lot of time onscreen and you really have to understand what he's going through emotionally, it became clear that if we started make the prosthetic as close to my features as possible but still make him a dwarf, it would be much easier to read the character. He has to go on such a journey, it was really important to do that. I grew my own beard after the first block because I felt that it was restricting my face. The jaw is so connected to emotion that I wanted to have that free. It made such a huge difference.

It's really weird now because I can't play the character when I haven't gotten everything on. It's very hard to rehearse when you're not in costume, when you haven't gotten the prosthetics on, but I look in the mirror when it's all finished and I don't see it. I can't see where it starts and where it ends. I just see the character. I've never had that before. It's such a unique experience. It's a face that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to WETA workshop and the people that created it.
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677131/richard-armitage-hobbit.jhtml

Vote for The Hobbit In MTV's Movie Brawl:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/tag/mtv-movie-brawl-2012/

Thank you for voting!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 51.45%
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower 48.55%

If you've not been able to watch The Hobbit trailer, this copy is supposed to play internationally...




Example of gorgeous fan created calendars, bookmarks & even postcards available at  http://richardarmitagecentral.co.uk/v/Photos++Artwork/Calendars/RAC+Desktop+Calendar+2012/feb.jpg.html?

THE HOBBIT NEWS: article about Thorin Oakenshield and Richard Armitage:
Sincere thanks to:
http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/latestnews.html
EXCERPT:  But the dwarf who is most likely to become a household name is the more fully titled Thorin Oakenshield and we think not only will we have an unforgettable character on the first Hobbit day (Dec. 14, 2012, the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) but also the actor Richard Armitage will become a household name. While there are many who know and love the English actor, that day and the films, will change his career forever.

Thorin will be a stern and occasionally callous dwarf, but he comes from a royal lineage of kings and has very personal reasons to want to travel to The Lonely Mountain (often called Erebor) and kill the dragon Smaug. It was Thorin's grandfather, Thrór, who was King Under the Mountain when Smaug attacked and wreaked the kingdom, driving the dwarves away and into exile. Thorin escaped but the mark on his family is a personal one and if you watched the first Hobbit trailer released, you have already met his father Thrain.

So when we see Thorin in Bilbo's house, he carries with him the physical remnant of his family's legacy: a map showing the secret entrance back into The Lonely Mountain. He also carries with him the failure of his fathers and the hope of his people. Like his father before him, he is taking his kinsmen and heading back — with a burglar and a wizard — to reclaim his kingdom. He will drive the dwarves, and the film, with this desire that may at times boarder on obsession. But hey, if a dragon burned and ate your family, lived in your underground castle (not the one that a balrog lives in during The Lord of the Rings) and slept on your pile of gold and jewels, you might obsess a little as well.

But, that isn't all there is to Thorin. Besides being generally serious and occasionally angry, his pride and bravery will be a big part of his character. He is intelligent, brave, a fierce warrior and, he can sing. It is his (or Armitage's) voice that leads the dark dwarven song in the trailer — ripped directly from J.R.R. Tolkien's text — that gives the short film commercial its brooding mood. He is a king without a throne and a tragic character who will sometimes be at odds with our hero Bilbo, with Gandalf, men and elves, be he is only trying to do his best to meet his burden and return his people to their glory.

               

                 First reflection I had after hearing the above dwarf chant was...
                                 
Then discovered this more modern take - but somehow none of the fine voices can compare favorably with Thorin's:) - he's the Middle Earth's Got Talent champion..(just noticed they're not best spellers either:)

                                 



Finally had a chance to watch the tv show Martin Freeman and Gerard Butler appeared on within the past few days.  Actually, my initial impression is "much ado about nothing" considering both Gerard and his fan seemed to behave perfectly natural and civilized about the situation.  He couldn't remember whether he'd ever worn a kilt during an event on his home turf, and she reminded him(from the audience:) that he had worn one in Glasgow.  At that point, he smiled warmly at her and didn't seem annoyed in the slightest.  An instant look of disbelief did cross the actor's face when she identified the location of a photo of him on a beach in Hawaii.  But even that visual feedback wasn't as strong as I'd been expecting after hearing second-hand reports about various reactions to the episode.  Butler was very entertaining & charming when he described his mother's hand signals to him as he sat up front facing the congregation - wearing a kilt - at his sister's wedding. All in all, I'd say Gerard Butler never actually ridiculed his apparently *very enthusiastic* fan.  As a result, his reactions left me with the opinion he wisely realizes an actor's professional life's blood depends on those in the audience who support (as RA said at one time) "what I [they] do". 

In fact, this is the first time I've really enjoyed watching the GN show because he allowed his guests to do most of the talking rather than monopolizing the conversation himself.  The results are at times hilarious.  See for yourself...

             

Take the Quiz:  Which Downton Abbey Character are you? [UPDATE: the link below leads you to the quiz page - not my result, which is Matthew Crawley haha...hmmm why him? perhaps because politics is one of my fav topics of conversation;]
The test identifying which Downton Abbey character you might be, obviously takes into consideration the cultural strait jackets for females in those days.  A *lady* did not discuss politics in the early 20thC.  Therefore, the century old computer programming *winks* gave me the Matthew Crawley result. Lol I don't really mind since he's such a cutie(as Mary finally realized:) http://www.weta.org/tv/picks/downtonabbey/quiz


Oooh, look at that - no Lucas cowlick above for a change.  Must've been plastered down with an extra quantity of hair dressing of some sort, because the majority of the time both Lucas and John Porter had an adorable...

There it is !


The talented pianist playing background music is also the videographer.  New RA fans should know that the actor deliberately lost many pounds in preparation for playing Lucas North (the spy incarcerated 8yrs in a Russian prison) on his return in Spooks 7..



7 comments:

Laura said...

Love the cowlick! Reminds me of Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes. No idea why, except that his hair is all over the place, too...

And for the record, they happen not just in the back. I have one right in the middle of my forehead, which requires me to keep my hair long. On the upside... it affords great body...

Musa said...

Love his cowlick :)

Ricrar said...

Good for you Laura - I can see where permanent uplift in the front makes for fewer bad hair days:) Whenever Richard's character has an extra short style - up pops those adorable strands at the crown. Mine does the same - it usually takes at least a month before they finally sit down. That's the reason I only ask for a pixie cut in hottest mos of the year.


Hi Musa - Be sure to see new article posted above which states Richard Armitage will become a worldwide household name as a result the Thorin Oakenshield role.
HOORAY! We've known all along that would happen, didn't we. But, nonetheless, it's great to see others make the same prediction.

Sue said...

I wondered if more interviews might be in the pipeline when it was reported that one of his agents had visited him in NZ. Probably overseeing things and advising him. Pity we couldn't actually see him in a video of the interview, it's not the same in type-written form is it? I agree that this role will certainly make Richard a household name. It will make him hot property in the film world. To act on this scale on film (rather than TV)must be exciting not to mention a learning curve. Best experience of his life I bet (lucky bugger).

RiCrAr,

Not sure which character I would be from Downton Abbey. Most likely the elderly old bag Lady Crawley, played by the wonderful Maggie Smith. She has some great one-liners in the show which are really funny and I honestly could see myself coming out with some of those quips with an ironic smirk on my face.

By the way Titanic, written by Julian Fellowes, is due to be shown in the Spring. Looks very good. I think it will have a greater feel of what it must have been like on board the Titanic rather than the film, which I wasn't overly keen on I must admit.

Here's a trailer:

http://www.itv.com/titanic/

PS: Wouldn't it be lovely if Richard and the dwarves could bring out a record (or should that be download these days?)version of the song. I can almost imagine a group of monks in a dark and dismal derelict old abbey singing and praying in a similar vein. All those echo's and melancholy. He's got a beautiful singing voice. Maybe they could release it as a single for Christmas prior to the film premiere of the Hobbit? Shame the premiere will be in NZ, hope they have one over here in England too!

Ricrar said...

Hi Sue, it's always fun and thought inspiring to read your comments. Although, it's actually taking all the energy I can muster right now to reply;) That's a slight exaggeration but it would've been accurate around noontime today. I managed to pick up a stomach flu somewhere and am finally able to sip a cup of tea and munch on one pice of cinnamon toast. Doubt the second will go down at this point - might be pushing the envelope.

To show you the effect of the virus, I've thought of a topic for a new poll but don't have the enthusiasm to post it. OMG! I must be dying!! *winks*

I was disappointed as well not to see a video w/the recent interview but there again PJ probably doesn't want to introduce the Thorin beard without all the accompanying accessories...wig,mustache,etc.

As for Downton, I see you more as a lovely person such as Matthew's mothers - she has a great sense of humor and loads of spunk.

Won't The Hobbit soundtrack be like a hot song download, when we consider the strong positive reaction to just 'The Misty Mtns Cold' - can't remember if Thorin has another solo - certainly hope so.

Now I'll creep back to the sofa and tell dh the second piece of toast will have to wait until tomorrow. He's been a real sweetheart, and I'm sure the fact I caught the virus from him doesn't really have anything to do with it. *laughs*..sort of

See you soon - tomorrow I expect to be back with bells on!!

Sue said...

RiCrAr,

Sorry to hear you're unwell and hope you are back firing on all cylinders very soon!

Just watched the clip of the Gerard Butler interview, with Martin Freeman. GB seems completely different to how I expected him to be. As for the fan, not sure whether he's sorry or pleased that she follows him around everywhere. Unfortunately she seems to have been whacked around the head a few times with the ugly stick! I'm sure all RA's fans are real lookers!

As for being like Matthew's mother in Downton, possibly, but a younger version perhaps. I'm not quite ready for the knackers yard just yet! (They'll probably have to take me there kicking and screaming!)

Listened to the clip of Richard singing and it sounds a little different to the earlier one I heard. Has Richard been tweaked do you think, (now there's a thought)he sounds a little more in tune and the background sounds much richer in tone.

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